Tissue adhesive and suturing for closure of the surgical wound after removal of impacted mandibular third molars: A comparative study

Abstract

The most common method of wound closure in oral surgery is suturing. The efficacy of cyanoacrylate in postoperative pain and bleeding was evaluated and compared with suturing. Sixteen patients with similar bone impaction and inclination of mandibular third molars on the right and left sides were studied in this controlled clinical trial. The third molar surgery was carried out in 2 stages, 4 weeks apart, under local anesthesia. After bone removal and tooth resection, the right flap was closed with 3-0 silk sutures and the left flap with cyanoacrylate. A visual analogical scale was used to evaluate the severity of pain and bleeding on postoperative days. The data analysis showed that postoperative bleeding with cyanoacrylate method was less significant than with suturing on the first and second days after surgery (P < .05). There was no significant difference in the severity of pain between the 2 methods (P > .05). This study suggested that the efficacies of cyanoacrylate and suturing in wound closure were similar in the severity of pain, but use of cyanoacrylate resulted in better hemostasis.